Nicolás, son of director Pedro Solís García, inspired ‘Buffalo Kids’

“Buffalo Kids” is a turn-of-the-century adventure that follows two Irish orphans, Mary and Tom, as they cross the U.S. in search of their uncle, encountering a cast of heroes and villains along the way. The adventure also leads them to Nick, a fellow orphan with cerebral palsy who they quickly embrace as a surrogate brother.

It is the relationship between Nick and Mary, in particular, that is the heart of the film, which is perhaps unsurprising given that it is based on a true sisterly bond between co-director Pedro Solís García’s daughter, Alejandra, and his son Nicolás, who was also born with cerebral palsy.

Tragically, Nicolás never watched the film it inspired. In an interview with VarietyThe film’s co-writer and producer Jordi Gasull reveals that the 16-year-old died shortly before “Buffalo Kids” went into production.

After spending a significant amount of time seeking financing for the film, which comes from the same creative team as “Mummies,” Gasull was thrilled to inform Solís García that the project was finally moving forward. “I told him ‘We have the green light!’ and 15 days later Nicolás died”, remembers Gasull, crying as we talked. But the director (who directed the film alongside Juan Jesús García Galocha) had the chance to tell his son that this was going to happen. “When Pedro said to Nico ‘Let’s make your film’, he looked at him as if he was delighted,” says Gasull. “It was very moving and we owe (the film) to Nicolás and all children with cerebral palsy.”

While Nicolás was the main inspiration for the film, produced by Spain’s 4 Cats Pictures and Core Animation, it also draws inspiration from Gasull’s own experience – he once had a real-life collision with a buffalo – as well as history. After topping the box office in its native Spain, “Buffalo Kids” opened in the United Kingdom and Ireland (distributed by Warner Bros. Discovery) this weekend. Before the launch, Gasull spoke with Variety about the film’s conception and production, as well as their hopes for a North American release.

Where did the idea for “Buffalo Kids” come from?

Pedro told me: “I want to make a feature film telling my son’s story.” I told him I loved the idea, but we need to find a story for the characters. He sent me one that was sort of a “Home Alone” set in an orphanage, but it didn’t really work. Then a friend of mine told me about a book about the orphans of New York in the 19th century. I read it and thought, “Oh, my God, here we have a story.” So I started doing research about real orphans and real stories in the wild frontier and I felt like we had something.

What was it like including the real Nicolás, who was non-verbal, in the script (which Gasull wrote alongside his longtime co-writer, Javier López Barreira)?

After a lot of work, we delivered the first script, which had Nick speaking, and I remember Pedro telling us: “No, no, no, that can’t be it. My son didn’t speak. You have to write a character who speaks with his eyes.” So I did some research and talked to Pedro and watched videos of the real Nick. So I rewrote the script without him speaking. Then we sent it to Pedro and he said: “Now this is my son”.

Did you encounter disability discrimination when pitching the film, whether to financiers or distributors?

No. It was the opposite. Everyone told me it was a very simple story, but very well written, where the characters were very strong. They thought it was risky for the audience, but no one said to me, “This is not a likable character.” In fact it was the opposite. They told me the script is beautiful.

Did you expect success in Spain?

I expected less success. I mean, I thought it would do well, but we would have about 600,000 admissions, 4 million euros (the film has already grossed almost 5.5 million dollars domestically). I don’t think we would be in very close numbers to “Mummies”, I have to be honest, because it is a much more complex film and a much more serious subject. It was a really pleasant surprise for us.

What was the most emotional scene for you during the production of the film?

When they find the buffalo. Because several years ago I was in a car accident with a real buffalo in Yellowstone. My youngest son broke his nose, he was crying, but my oldest son approached the buffalo – which was dying – and touched it, and he and the buffalo were together for a few moments. So that inspired that scene. And I cried when I saw the dance scene (with Nick and Mary). When I saw it, I said to Pedro and Galo “You are great directors, you made me cry like a muffin, as they say in Spain”. I was really moved. They did an incredible job because it was very difficult. I mean, it’s a very simple story, with a small budget and that delivered a lot of quality and emotion.

What has been the public response?

Tons of people wrote to us, sent us messages, tried to contact us through Facebook, through the 4 Cats Pictures and Core Animation web pages. It’s been incredible. I have never had such a level of response to any of my films. This has been extraordinary. Mostly they are impressed with how Nick is portrayed. They said it was very, very moving.

Given its success in Europe, is it disappointing that “Buffalo Kids” hasn’t yet been released in the U.S.?

I mean, I’m a dreamer and I hope it does well in the UK and that it can awaken Anglo audiences, because I feel like it’s a film that US audiences will embrace. Because this story comes from the truth, it is not something made up. It’s not, “OK, I’m going to deliver a message.” No. The message comes from the (authenticity of) the story and I feel like it’s totally unique. And when I show this to the American public, American friends, they are totally emotionally involved. So I dream that we can have something there.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.